Warner is receiving the honour for her work on the analysis of stories and myths and how they reflect their time and place. She is known for the emphasis of gender roles and feminism in her literary work.

Vinnar av Holbergprisen 2015, Marina Warner.
Credit: Dan Welldon

The Holberg Prize, the largest annual international prize awarded to outstanding researchers in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology, have named British author, scholar and critic Marina Warner as its 2015 laureate. Warner will receive the financial award of £ 380,000 during a formal ceremony at the University of Bergen (UiB) on June 10.

“I have tried to explore long-lasting but often disregarded forms of expression such as popular stories and vernacular imagery in order to understand the interactions of culture and ethics,” said Warner. “The prize gives me and my fellow researchers wonderful, surprising encouragement in this endeavor, which lies at the heart of arts and humanities scholarship.”

This year, the Holberg Prize received 70 nominations from universities from across the globe.

“I want to congratulate Warner on being awarded the Holberg Prize for 2015, says the minister of Education and Research, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen.

About the Holberg Prize

Established by the Norwegian Parliament in 2003, the Holberg Prize is the largest annual international research prize awarded to scholars who have made outstanding contributions to research in the arts and humanities, social science, law or theology. The Prize is funded by the government through a direct allocation from the Ministry of Education and Research to the University of Bergen (UiB). Previous winners include Jürgen Habermas, Julia Kristeva, Manuel Castells, and Bruno Latour. To learn more about the Holberg Prize or possibilities for 2016 nominations visit: www.holbergprisen.no/en

The Holberg Prize is named after writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright Ludvig Holberg. Holberg was born in Bergen in 1684 and played an important part in bringing the Enlightenment to the Nordic countries.